‘The Desert and the Drum’ Makes Oxford-Weidenfeld Shortlist

The book touted as the “first ever” Mauritanian novel translated into English has made the shortlist for the £2,000 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize, a prize that rewards “literary translations into English from European languages”:

This year’s jury is chaired by Simon Park. The other judges are Charlotte Ryland, Emma Claussen, and James Partridge.

The prize will be awarded on “Oxford Translation Day,” June 15, 2019.

Previous winners include Lisa Dillman for her translation of Such Small Hands by Andrés Barba, Philip Boehm for his translation of Herta Müller’s The Hunger Angel, and Margaret Jull Costa for her translation of José Saramago’s The Elephant’s Journey.